The Fiancee III

"This way, we can talk more in my study."

Jacob said as he led an older man up the stairs towards the study.

The man was old, at least in his late fifties or early sixties. His head was partially grey, and he had a face full of wrinkles. Still, that did not stop the smile from hanging on his face.

He was in a happy mood, mostly due to the words a friend of his told him.

He just hoped that he was not being played by Henry, or else he did not know how he would be able to show his face to his wife.

Following Jacob, the man entered the study and took a seat in front of the desk. Jacob sat behind the desk as he picked up a document and passed it to the man.

"What I've given you is a contract, it states the terms of our agreement. The price you will have to pay weekly, as well as what I shall provide in return."

The man glanced over the document for a few minutes before his gaze returned to Jacob.

"I get the gist of it, but i'm more interested in why more than anything else. I do not mean to be rude, but from where I am standing everything seems too good to be true. What kind of benefit do you get in return? Why is a noble, who can open up his own workshop interested in my small store? You understand my concerns no?"

It was strange of Jacob to reach out to him with this offer. On the surface everything seemed A-ok, but he had a feeling that there was more than meets the eye. However, he just did not know what it was.

Refusing the offer given to him would be foolish, because there was a slight chance that everything Henry told him was true.

"You asked me what kind of benefits? Truthfully, not much. With the contract in front of you, we are splitting the profits six - four. You gain higher grade material to use to create better clothing, which you can sell at a set price. Not too high, but not too expensive either. With the low cost, you'll… nevermind. Basically, I'm interested in helping you succeed."

Jacob had a lot more to say, but looking at the man's face as he started to go more in depth he realized the man was starting to become lost. Therefore, he changed what he was going to say and said something simple.

"Still, that does not seem… very noble like."

Jacob laughed a little. It was not like a noble to act in such a fashion.

"Do not bunch all nobles together. Not all of us are selfish. I can open up my own workshop, but this is much easier for me. We both benefit, so why not take the offer?

The man nodded his head.

From what he could tell Jacob did not seem to be playing around with him. From what he could make out of the contract, everything seemed fair as well. There were a few words he did not fully understand, but what he could grasp helped him realize everything Jacob said was written down.

Not all commoners were capable of reading. The ones in big cities were able to, but if you went out to villages or small towns, you'd see less commoners capable of reading and writing.

You could say it was a privilege given to those who stood an inch above the other common folk.

The man signed the contract once Jacob answered a few more of his questions. They both shook hands and the man exited the room.

After the man left the study Jacob rolled his neck as he sighed. Things were moving slow, but that did not mean things were bad. Now that one person has joined him, it would not be too long before others did as well. Once that happened, news would spread via word of mouth and others would seek him out.

About time the other nobles started to take notice Jacob's influence with the common folk would have increased dramatically. Not only that, but he would be able to earn a decent amount of income from them as well.

Funding one might not show all too well, but with multiple he would see a huge jump in profit.

All he needed to do was wait for Amber's father to contact her. Once he was interested, Jacob would arrange a meeting to come up with something the two of them could agree on. That, and a few other idea's Jacob had in mind.

He figured that it would take around a few weeks for Amber to receive a reply, so he still had a while to wait.

Until then, Jacob would do what he could material wise. He was bound to find other merchants in the area that were willing to sell him large quantities of goods for a cheaper price. Jacob just had to make sure the quality was decent.

As his body relaxed a little, Jacob started to tidy up his desk some. That is when he noticed a small paper on his desk. It was small so he hardly noticed it. It was not something he recalled placing here, so he wondered where it came from.

'Temple of Saint Michael. Two Days time.'

After he read it, the small note started to turn into ashes right in his hands. That is when Jacob understood how this note came into his study.

Out of all the people he met so far, only a few would contact him. But in this way? He truly knew none.

Angelia's face popped into his mind, as she did state she would contact him. But this soon? It's only been two days. That was relatively quick.

Jacob was not counting on her being a mage, but with what he just witnessed that may be the case. That or she has someone skilled working by her side.

That was the reason the note turned to ash, was because of magic. It was a form of Dark magic that allowed its user to send information stealthy. All the information would be destroyed upon being read.

The item used to hold whatever needed to be said was not real, mostly an illusion cast by magic - which would vanish upon being read.

Simple as the skill may seem, it was not a low tier skill. It took a lot of concentration, and a general idea on how the person you were trying to reach looked. In the game, this skill was not favored by some players and they were thinking of reworking it. Now, it had a use.

The only downside to the skill was the distance. You had to be within ten miles for the skill to work.

Thinking about it for a second, Jacob laminated over his choices.